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Two armed men have entered a restaurant in Barcelona and are reported to be holding hostages, following an attack in which a van was driven into a crowd, causing a number of injuries. Two people are reported to have been killed. Police say they are "terrorist attacks".

France suffers first loss in Mali air strikes

France has its first soldier in the offensive against Mali’s Islamist rebels – a helicopter pilot was injured and later died as French military gave aerial support to the Malian army’s attempts to fight off advancing insurgents near the town of Konna.

Lieutenant Damien Boiteux was wounded in an attack on an insurgent column on Friday afternoon and later died from his wounds, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced Saturday.

The attack stopped the advance of the column, which was heading south from the town of Konna, which the rebels seized on Thursday, towards two other towns, Mopte and Sévaré, Le Drian said.

The French military is reported to have been sending supplies and personnel to Sévaré this week.

France has asked the UN Security Council to speed up plans for a west African force to intervene in the troubled country, roughly two-thirds of whose territory is now controlled by Islamist insurgents linked to Al Qaeda.